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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cleaning devices, and, more particularly, to an attachment for water closets which can be used as a bidet, as a cleansing device for babies, their soiled diapers, and a device for clearing clogged toilets and drains.
2. General Background of the Invention
The advantages of bidet bathroom fixtures and sitz baths are well recognized in the art of therapeutic hygienic cleaning. Generally, bidet fixtures are mounted separately from toilet bathroom fixtures and require separate plumbing for proper operation. The disadvantage of such a separate fixture is that it necessarily occupies a space in an often limited confines of a modern bathroom and, in many cases, becomes cost prohibitive. To solve the problem, numerous patents have been issued for attachments for water closets which could serve as bidet, or personal cleaning devices, or which can be doubled as a sitz bath, when necessary. Examples of such attachments can be found in a number of U.S. patents, some of which are listed below:
Some of these devices disclose the use of hand-held shower heads mounted on a handle which also carries an actuating control valve. Others suggest the use of a showerhead with a rigid handle which is connected to a conventional faucet to allow delivery of water to the showerhead and facilitate personal cleansing of a person seated on a toilet. Still others suggest the use of specially adapted toilet seats to accommodate a showerhead with a nozzle that is supported under the toilet seat to direct the water upward. However, none of the above mentioned devices provides for the use of a hygienic device that can be also used to facilitate clearing of drainage clogs or a device that can be used during diaper changes of a baby. Furthermore, none of these other devices is capable of delivering a non-invasive enema or colonic.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a personal hygienic device which can be connected to conventional water plumbing fixtures and utilized for cleansing of an infant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device which can be used for clearing drain clogs in a toilet or in bathroom drains.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hand-held personal hygienic device which can be easily connected to commercial bathroom fixtures without requiring expensive separately standing structures.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved mounting assemblies for the hand-held personal hygienic device for facilitating easy and efficient mounting of the assembly onto an existing water line into a toilet.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved through a provision of a cleaning device which comprises an elongated flexible tubing, one end of which is adapted for connection to a source of water supply. A fluid control valve is secured to one end of the tubing to regulate the flow of water through the tubing. A rigid hollow handle is secured to an outlet of the flow control valve, the handle carrying a vented spray nozzle at its free end, with the spray nozzle provided with a plurality of openings. A connecting member retains the spray nozzle at an acute angle in relationship to a longitudinal axis of the handle so as to direct a flow of water exiting through the openings upwardly when the cleaning device is in use.
The handle is long enough to extend from an outside confines of a toilet bowl to a location immediately above the toilet bowl. When the device is in use, the control valve appears on the outside of the toilet bowl, in front of the user seated on the toilet bowl.
An open front or optional modified toilet seat is provided with a curved cutout in its top upper surface to accommodate the handle which rests in the cutout or opening when the device is in use. A sealing gasket is secured to the underside of the toilet seat to seal the parameter of the toilet seat and close the area between the top rim of the toilet bowl and the underside of the toilet seat, thereby preventing escape of water from the toilet bowl.
An alternative embodiment of the cleaning device in accordance with the present invention provides for the use of a cleaning attachment suitable for clearing clogged drain outlets. This attachment unit comprises a length of flexible tubing made from for example plastic or rubber so as to bring an open free end of the tubing to an immediate proximity of the clogged opening and deliver a stream of water through the drain outlet to thereby facilitate clearing of the toilet or drain pipe.
A further alternative embodiment of the cleaning device in accordance with the present invention provides for the use of a secondary cleaning unit suitable for cleaning a diaper area of an infant. The secondary unit provides for the use of an elongated hose independently connected to a source of water supply and provided with a spray nozzle on the free end of the hose. A spring operated manual depressible lever regulates the flow of water exiting the openings in the sprayer to clean the infant and rinse the soiled diaper.
An optional open top housing in the form of a basket with openings or slots is provided for use with the secondary unit. The housing, or basket, is dimensioned to be seated over the toilet bowl and engage with its rim the inside parameter of the toilet seat or the top rim of a toilet bowl. The user positions an infant into the basket and, while holding the infant with one hand, directs the spray of water through the hand-held spray head onto the diaper area and afterward onto the diaper which is rinsed in the basket.
The cleaning device in accordance with the present invention provides and inexpensive, versatile alternative to cumbersome bathroom fixtures currently known in the industry.